KEY POINTS
- Iran issued Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) announcing planned rocket launches.
- Iranian military held drills in the Strait of Hormuz and began joint naval exercises with Russia.
- US has deployed additional naval assets, including the USS Abraham Lincoln, with a second carrier reportedly en route.
- CNN and CBS reported the US military could be ready to strike Iran pending Trump’s decision.
TEHRAN, Iran: Iran on Thursday issued a Notice to Airmen (NOTAM) announcing planned rocket launches in its southern regions, as the United States signalled it is ready for possible military action amid rising tensions between the two countries.
The NOTAM, circulated through international aviation channels including the US Federal Aviation Administration system, advises pilots and flight crews to exercise caution in designated airspace.
Such notices are typically issued to ensure flight safety during military or rocket activity.
The announcement comes as both sides increase military and diplomatic manoeuvring in the Gulf.
Military drills and naval build-up
Earlier this week, Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps conducted drills in the Strait of Hormuz, a key global oil transit chokepoint.
Iranian state television reported that parts of the waterway would be closed temporarily for safety during the exercises.
Tehran has also begun joint naval drills with Russia in the Sea of Oman and the northern Indian Ocean.
Iranian officials said the exercises are aimed at enhancing coordination to counter threats to maritime security and combat maritime terrorism.
Iranian politicians have previously threatened to block the Strait of Hormuz during periods of heightened tension.
Meanwhile, Washington has deployed additional naval assets to the region.
According to CNN and CBS, citing informed sources, the US military could be ready to carry out strikes on Iran as early as this weekend, pending a final decision by President Donald Trump.
The reports said the White House has been briefed that sufficient air and naval resources are in place in the Middle East to enable swift action.
A second aircraft carrier strike group is reportedly en route, with full deployment expected by mid-March.
The first carrier, the USS Abraham Lincoln, and its nearly 80 aircraft were positioned about 700 kilometres from the Iranian coast as of Sunday, according to satellite imagery cited in media reports.
Trump has also indicated that a second carrier, the Gerald Ford, would depart “very soon” for the region.
Reuters reported that senior US national security officials met in the White House Situation Room to review military options.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Trump had been briefed on options designed to “maximise damage”, including potential strikes targeting senior Iranian political and military leaders.
However, Trump has not made a final decision.
Diplomatic efforts continue
Alongside military preparations, indirect diplomatic talks have resumed. Negotiations mediated by Oman were held in Geneva on Tuesday.
US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner met indirectly with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi.
The talks aim to avert direct conflict and address tensions over Iran’s nuclear programme.
The White House acknowledged “a little bit of progress” but said significant gaps remain.
Araqchi said Tehran and Washington had agreed on “guiding principles”.
However, US Vice President JD Vance said Iran had not yet acknowledged all of Washington’s red lines.
Tehran is expected to submit a written proposal outlining steps to resolve the standoff.
Iran insists the discussions remain limited to nuclear issues.
Washington has previously sought to include Iran’s ballistic missile programme.
‘Do not want war’
President Masoud Pezeshkian said on Wednesday that Iran did not seek conflict.
“We do not want war,” he said. “From the day I took office, I have believed that war must be set aside.”
But he added that Iran could not accept what he described as humiliation. “If they are going to try to impose their will on us… should we accept that?” he said.
Iran’s atomic energy chief Mohammad Eslami said no country could deprive the Islamic Republic of its right to nuclear enrichment.
“The basis of the nuclear industry is enrichment. Whatever you want to do in the nuclear process, you need nuclear fuel,” Eslami said in remarks published by Etemad daily.
“Iran’s nuclear programme is proceeding according to the rules of the International Atomic Energy Agency, and no country can deprive Iran of the right to peacefully benefit from this technology,” he added.
Western countries accuse Iran of seeking nuclear weapons. Tehran denies this and says its programme is for civilian purposes.
Earlier on Wednesday, Araqchi held a telephone call with Rafael Grossi, head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).
According to Iran’s foreign ministry, Araqchi stressed Tehran’s focus on drafting an “initial and coherent framework” to advance future talks.
Iran has suspended some cooperation with the IAEA and restricted access to sites bombed during last year’s conflict with Israel and the United States, accusing the watchdog of bias.
Renewed tensions
The latest round of negotiations follows earlier talks in Oman on February 6.
Previous diplomatic efforts collapsed during a 12-day conflict last June after Israel launched strikes on Iran.
The United States briefly joined the campaign, targeting Iranian nuclear facilities.
Trump has repeatedly threatened military action and described the US naval build-up as an “armada”.
On Wednesday, he again suggested the United States might strike Iran in a post on his Truth Social platform.
He warned Britain against giving up sovereignty over the Chagos Islands, saying the Diego Garcia airbase might be needed if Iran did not agree to a deal “to eradicate a potential attack by a highly unstable and dangerous regime”.
White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said Iran would be “very wise” to reach an agreement with the Trump administration.
US Energy Secretary Chris Wright said in Paris, on the sidelines of meetings of the International Energy Agency, that Washington would deter Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons “one way or the other”.
“They’ve been very clear about what they would do with nuclear weapons. It’s entirely unacceptable,” Wright said.
